thousands gather for a final farewell to the man who served massachusetts and capitol hill for four decades. the last-minute preparations upped way as the final brother of america's most well-known political family is laid to rest. good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrison this morning. it's friday, august 28th, 2009. let's take a live look outside. beautiful morning shaping up. a little bit on the warm side but cool, wet weather on the way. >> meteorologist tom kierein has joined us hooer in the studio for a look at our forecast for today and the weekend. coecur ors v iiewen anne arunde wuntyakgp u to some rpnain morning.ning this that is a line ofat some rswe rs and thunder arntgomery, how montgomery, howabout an hour ag abt an hour ago or two a hours ago. ith there's still some rn a little bit of thunder acro rtnocentral maryland art frederick county, carroll county o ntand iuto washington iou nt cy th satllouti angancidv to the rohn id m t mid to low 70s.

76 now in washington, 60s in the shenandoah valley. as the day progresses, remaining cloudy and humid. t ha a passing morning shower but a greater chance of some afternoon showers and thundershowers s reaching the low 80s.hi some individual thundershowers could produce some brief, very heavy rain. this may continue into tonight and may affect the skins/pats game at fedex field. and then for saturday, looks like there's a smaller chance of asi p ngasshower. and partly cloudy the mid-80s. lower humidity moving in, improving news for sunday, monday, into in ex week. the latest on tropical storm danny in the next several minutes. >> let's go to jerry edwards. >> good morning. we'll head out, take a look. the drive in along interstate 270 so far from frederick to hyattstown on down doing okay. the roads may still be a little wet. those thunderstorms kept me up half the night. elsewhere, outer loop of the beltway at the b-w parkway, earlier accident should be about wrapped up. so far, so good at the woodrow wilson bridge both directions.

joe, kimberly, back to you. >> thousands of people are expected to visit the jfk presidential library in boston today to pay their respects to the late senator edward kennedy. >> he passed away this week after a long battle with brain cancer. michelle franzen is in his hometown of hyannis port, massachusetts, this morning. she joins us with more on today's memorial services. good morning, michelle. >> reporter: well, good morning. we're here in boston at the john f. kennedy presidential library where the line swelled last night. we hear estimates up to 20,000 people turned out. lines so long they had to extend it into the night. they came by the thousands to the jfk presidential library where senator edward kennedy's body lay in repose. and they waited in lines up to four hours long. just to pay their respects. >> he feels like, you know, for evybody's favorite uncle. that's what ted kennedy feels

like to so many people. >> reporter: family members greeting the crowds, including the senator's widow, vicki. hugging and thanking them. >> we're so honored that so many people have come out to pay tribute to my husband. and i just wanted to thank them. >> reporter: those who felt compelled to attend kennedy's fub farewell included many americans who were touched over the decades bylaws kennedy helped pass. civil rights, minimum wage. he really was a voice for the poor and the common person. >> reporter: average americans alongside leaders like the reverend jesse jackson, wanting a last glimpse of one of america's most influtial senators who helped shape the country this past half century. >> he saw america as a rights for all. he's always been there. >> reporter: the swell of mourners at the presidential library followed a day of mourning, a motorcade that journeyed from kennedy's home in

hyannis port to boston. all along the 70-mile route, people lined the highways and streets of the city the kennedys called their own, all to bid farewell to the lion of the senate and kennedy patriarch. and back here at the john f. kennedy library, those lines and the library doors will once again open to the public in just a few hours. and just a few miles away, preparations are under way at the basilica where funeral services will be held tomorrow. joe? >> thanks very much, michelle. preparations are also under way at arlington national cemetery this morning. senator kennedy's final resting place. kennedy will be buried with congressional honors on saturday, tomorrow. a bugler will play taps. a rifle squad will fire 21 volume lease. there will be pallbearers from each branch of the military. yesterday, hundreds of people visited the site and paid their respects at the eternal flame.

o ncen,ag once again, ll h bwiaieel will be helor tdroomni mwngorndi lennedy's body i alon timece.ryotell then be saia national cemeva.vier scelced w gi 005: tomorrowrn afn. it weway n00h s 4afternoon. stay wit an a cdeator sy'rafuednnne sl.f sinnedy'sn o oeb w urte yacshbcnwa our website at nbcwashgt.conomon. >> new today, fairfax county police sending an important message after seeing an increasing number of pedestrians being hit by cars. so far this year, ten people have been hit and killed. this is the scene from the most recent crash, a 64-year-old woman died crossing the street in centreville. investigators say she was not in a crosswalk and they say walking to a crosswalk is something pedestrians can do to improve safety. >> we really encourage the pedestrians use crosswalks and to cross with the signals.

we can't say what is or isn't a krblting factor, but i think it's safe to say that most of the pedestrians who get struck are not crossing at the crosswalk, crossing against the signals. >> last year, the county only had four deadly accidents involving pedestrians. they say that number is actually low, and this year is more in line with what they normally see. >> we have breaking news right now from california. at least a half dozen homes have been destroyed in a fast-moving wildfire out there in california. the fire broke out last night in rancho palos verdes south of los angeles. a number of neighborhoods have already been evacuated as water-dropping helicopters try to contain the flames. three other wildfires are also burning right now in southern california. >> today nasa's hoping the third time's a charm. engineers are planning t launch space shuttle "discovery" before the stroke of midnight. it's set for a mission to the international space station. it was first supposed to blast off fro kennedy space center on

tuesday, but the launch was rubbed because of bad weather. wednesday's launch was scrubbed because of a malfunctioning fuel valve. engineers say they have fixed the problem. >> 5:06 is the time, 75 degrees right now. a wild police chase in northern virginia ends in a fiery crash with a man leaving his baby inside a burning car. >> a happy ending, though. and plus, authorities make a brk in the case and find a child that was kidnapped nearly two decades ago. >> and how the family of the head of the federal reserve f eidentity y eft.ef

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nbcwashington.com and search bargain blast. what about davida? >> that's right. what if your last name is davis? seems to me you ought to be able to get in. let's go to tom kierein. >> as we look at the radar history over the last hour, we have some showers and some thunder and lightning from hampshire county into washington county, frederick, carroll, into northern delaware. also some thunder and lightning now exiting anne arunde c ounty and heading across the bay. temperatures around the region, 60s and 70s. it's 75 in washington. tropical storm danny has weakened overnight. it's just barely a tropical storm. the winds now only at 40 with gusts of 50. 612 miles south of ocean city. looks like it will be passing maybe 100 miles east of ocean city during the day on saturday and then perhaps near cape cod on -- late on saturday, into sunday. for us today, cloudy, passing shower perhaps this morning but a greater chance of an afternoon shower or thundershower this afternoon and this evening with highs low 80s. mid-80s tomorrow and partly

cloudy, maybe a passing shower, low humidity for sunday, monday, into next week. now, jerry, how's the traffic? >> start on the beltway south of town. we are getting the initial reports of an accident inner loop of the beltway near 295 before you get to the wilson bridge. we're investigating that. don't see it yet but wll keep you updated. elsewhere, outer loop of the beltway at the b-w parkway wrapping up the accident. south on i-270 no early concerns but wet roads in some locations. back to you. >> good reminder. thanks. >> thank you, jerry. >> the time is 5:12. how the nation's most powerful financial expert fell victim to a financial crime here in washington. >> next at 5:15, what you need to know to keep your money safe.

here's a look now at some of the top stories we are following today. thousands of people are expected to pass by the casket of senator edward kennedy today to pay their respects. these are live pictures from inside the john f. kennedy library in boston. you can see the military honor guard. kennedy's body is now lying in repose there under that american flag-draped casket. family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service later on today. senator kennedy's funeral is set for tomorrow in boston. he will then be buried at arlington national cemetery. a fast-moving wildfire has forced hundreds of people out of

their homes in california. at least a half dozen homes have already been destroyed. that fire began last night in ncho pal owos verdes north of ls angeles.hecopters have been drop helicopters have been dropping water in the area. nasa is planning to launch shuttle "discovery" just before the stroke of midnight tonight. the shuttle is supposed to -- was supposed to lift off from kennedy spacein center on tuesd but that launch was scrubbed due to bad weather. a second attempt on wednesday was scrubbed because of a malfunctioning fuel valve. engineers say they have now fixed that problem. >> the week is ending with some mixed messages on the economy. we learned yesterday more banks are in trouble because of more bad loans, but there are strong signs that we're crawling out of this recession. tracie potts sorts it all out. >> reporter: today we'll learn what was spent and what the paychecks were like in july. analysts predict the economy may actually grow.

for the first time in a year, a sign this recession may be on its way out. we're already seeing a small rebound in housing as fence-sitters decide to buy. >> if they see that housing prices are stabilizing they're going to jump into the market and we'll see a small surge in sales. >> reporter: some corporate profits are up. dell's reporting an unexpectedly strong second quarter, but analysts say companies are making money because they've laid off workers. >> personal disposable income begins to rise again, these are the things that actually determine a recession to the average person. >> reporter: unemployment's not expect to bottom out until next spring at 10% or more. that means while the numbersr improving, relief hasn't yet reached the millions of americans who can't pay their bills. banks are also feeling the pinch. e fdic, which insures your deposit, has taken a huge hit, covering 81 failed banks just this year.

the agency's chair says they have backup funds. >> our resources are strong. your insured deposits are safe. again, no insured depositor has ever lost a penny of insured deposits in order and no one everwill. >> reporter: economists believe the cash for clunkers program contributed to today's spending numbers. >> this is something we don't want to hear. some analysts are expressing concern that we could face what they call a double-dip recession, where growth returns for a while, only to fall again as people remain reluctant to spend. joe? >> thanks, kimberly. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke is widely credited with putting the brakes on the economy's precipitous slide last fall but it turns out the country's most powerful financial guru is not immune to a common crime. according to a d.c. police report, bernanke's wife anna had

urhe prse swiped. p in her purse was a social security card, a checkbook and other identification. six days later, $900 were missing from ben and anna bernanke's account. court records show a washington man named george reed confessed to depositing checks from the bernanke's account. it's one of reported 500 incidents linked to a single crime ring. the texas businessman charged with bilking investors out of millions of dollars will remain in the hospital for several days now. r. allen stanford led the houston-based financial group. stanford has been locked up since june and missed a court aparance yesterday. he went to the hospital with an irregular heartbeat and a high pulse. stanford's trip to the hospital happened a few hours before his form chief faninal officer became the first person to plead guilty in the case. >> prince george's county schools have been in session just about a week and thousands of students still don't have schedules. it's because of a glitch with a

program called school max. the problem left 8,000 students without schedules on monday, many of them spent their entire school day in cafeterias instead of in class. today, school officials say about 2,000 studentanwa aing fo. >> we have temporarily re-assigned central office staff to provide assistance to our schools, and are working around the clock to ensure that all students have schedules. >> school officials say the problem should be xeby monday. >> in sports news, michael vick has made his return to the nfl. >> plusus the redskins are gearing up for another dress rehearsa before the regular season. dan hellie has the details in your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minimum starts with the redskins, the guys playing preseason game number three at fedex field tonight. they are taking on the patriots. starters going to go for awhile, at least a half, maybe more.

ouroverage from fedex begins at 5:00. in philadelphia, michael vick made his nfl debut for the eagles. last night, 4 for 4 for 19 yards passing, ran the ball once. vick in the game for a total of six plays. it was his first nfl action since the 2006 season. the eagles, by the way, won the game. to baseball. the nationals will finally have a winning month, but yesterday their win in chicago was costly. center fielder nyger morgan broke his hand while stealing third base. he will miss the rest of the season. the nats do beat the cubs 5-4. meanwhile n baltimore, the o's lost to the indians 5-4. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great friday. >> 5:21 is our time. time again for a look at traffic and weather on the 1s. >> let's check in with tom kierein upstairs. good morning, tom. >> heavy rain and lightning been passing north of washington since around midnight. as we look at radar it's still

up around the pennsylvania border. some heavy rain in parts of washington, frederick, carroll county s and north and east of baltimore where there have been some reports of flooding up that way. elsewhere we don't have any precipitation. temperatures are in the low and mid-70s. 60s shenandoah valley and into the mountains it's in the low 60s. cloudy today, highs reaching low 80s. a likelihood of afternoon and evening thundershowers. small chance on saturday. then drying out sunday into monday and through much of next week. i'm back in ten minutes with anher update. how's the traffic? >> take a live look along i-95, route 17 in fredericksburg. no problems here. however on route 17 at plantation parkway an accident. we're told the southbound lanes of route 17 just north of 95 in fredericksburg are closed. keep you updated. back to you. >> thank you. >> thank you. our time right now is 5:22, 76 degrees out there. a tragedy for two local students at a popular local campgrou campground. >> also how police re-united a 25-year-old woman with her family nearly two decades after

her abduction by a sex offender. >> plus, what you need to do to cash in -- what you need to do to cash in on, excuse me, deep ts ogmiffupedco ferng h upcoming h

disturbing new details in the murder of a swimsuit model. california police say there were signs of a violent struggle inside jasmine fiore's car. they found blood spatters on the inside. on the outside, ty found mud and twigs which could indicate the car went offroad. police say fiore was killed by her husband, ryan jenkins, a contestant on vh 1's "megan wants a millionaire." he apparently killed himself last week. >> an amazing story out of california. a missing girl has been found 18 years after she was kidnapped from a bus stop.

jaycee lee dugard was 11 years old when she was snatched. her stepfather watched helple helplessly as someone in a gray car pulled her inside. there was absolutely no sign of her until this tuesday. w's an registered sex fe amofer feof ner named philipriar geddo au.t c. at u.c. burerkeley . police saydrilay. police say jaycee gaveir bth to reldhinreow a n ages1 anden are 11 15. garrido has been arrested on kidnapping and sex charges. >> it's 5:27. tropical trouble. danny is churning in the atlantic. how the latest weather front will impact our region. >> and we're live with the final preparations for the funeral of the late senator edward m. kennedy. >> also why a local father fled the scene and left precious cargo inside this burning car.

remembering senator edward kennedy. family and friends gathered to pay tribute to the life of one

of america's favorite sons. right now you're looking at a live picture of kennedy's body lying in repose at the john f. kennedy library in boston. this morning the final preparations to bring the man known as the liberal lion of the senate to his final resting place. well, good morning and welcome to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrisonhis morning. it's friday, august 28th, 2009. taking a live look outside. a little bit of rain showers for some folks this morning, i understand. >> some heavy rain overnight with a lot of thunder boomers in my neighborhood, at least. here's tom. he's going to tell us what the rest of the day will be like and have more tomorrow perhaps, right? >> lateraynod todod mainly but 'smoowrrowki letngooante bd r is sun ri viewers ggi viewers waki usphi t momorning, especially from montgomer ico cotyont frederick andowo hard unty where we had some heavy urdopowns

ning since that f ns movingarerth to erth e nort exi now beginningo frederick county but sllti raining hard in carroco ll,un ty northeastern rylama so me thunder and anean ieln neel arund is just nowru crossing the bay, heading toward st. michael's,or od and easton over the next half hour. tempatarurex esound the region low an0 m-7ids. it's a humid day on the y.-7wa by later on, l 8s,ow0wa0 likelid of passing afternoon showers and thundershowers, some of which could produce some very heavy rain and that may continue off and on into continue, affecting the skins and p rain tomorrowgame. tinroraoromwor morning, then a small chance of a shower later on saturday. looking better for sunday, monday, with low humidity moving in. a look at the latest with tropical storm danny coming up this half hour. >> thank you, tom. >> sounds terrific. now let's go to jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. any problems out there? >> looks like you have a mess behind you. >> absolutely. good morning. unfortunately, the wet roads may be taking its toll this morning.

accident, this is 395 northbound right at duke street. an accident authorities are currently holding up all traffic while they try to get the accident vehicles out of the roadway. the ambulance has left and, again, when they do release traffic it will be one lane to the left. 395 at duke. if you get on from duke street to go north on 395, you'll get on after the accident scene. everything south of that point in the main lanes completely closed off. hov lanes are fine, but heavy. george after at brookfield road, serious crash. georgia avenue now closed with wires down. back to you. >> wow. we need to take it easy thi morning. >> yes. >> jerry, thanks. >> it will be another emotional day in massachusetts where thousands of people were gathered to pay respect to the late senator edward kennedy. >> let's take a live look right now inside the john f. kennedy presidential library in boston where senator kennedy's body is lying in repose. a private memorial service will be held later today, followed by a funeral service tomorrow morning.

afterwards senator kennedy will be brought to arlington national cemetery to be buried near his brothers. right now news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live from arlington national cemetery with more. good morning, megan. >> reporter: well, good morning, joe. that's right. today the public will have a chance to say a final farewell to senator edward kennedy. as you just saw in the live picture, he is lying in repose in the jfk library in massachusetts. the doors are going to be opening in a few hours and mourners will be given the opportunity to file past the casket and pay their respects. then later there's going to be a funeral mass, a private funeral mass, on saturday morning in boston. and then senator kennedy will be brought here to washington, d.c. he will be laid to rest here by his brothers at arlington national cemetery. senator edward kennedy will lie in repose beginning this morning until 4:00 this afternoon at the john f. kennedy library in dorchester, massachusetts. among those asked to stand vigil, kennedy's first press

aide, kerry robinson. >> we've been to be with him, to stand by him at the kennedy library during this vigil. and it's very kind of the family to think of us. and we're all honored to be doing this. >> reporter: on saturday morning, a funeral mass will be held in boston. then the senator's body will be brought to arlington national cemetery for burial. he will be buried near his slain brothers, john f. kennedy and robert kennedy. arlington national cemetery will be open on saturday, but the public will be kept away from the kennedy burial site. senator kennedy served two years in the army. an army bugler is expected to play tops. the arlington house, robert e. lee's house on the hill, will be closed to the public beginning at noon on saturday. now, the first chance that the public will have to see the -- to see the grave of senator edward kennedy will likely be on sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. when

arlington national cemetery opens to the public. the entire kennedy burial area is going to be off limits to the public all day on saturday. back to you, joe, eun. >> all right. thank you, megan. >> thank you. thousands of people in boston are already paying their respects to ted kennedy. people waited in line for hours to pass by knedy's flag-draped coffin at the library. the reverend jesse jackson was among them. kennedy's widow, vicki, says she and the rest of the family are overwhelmed with the support they've received during this very difficult time. >> we're so honored that so many people have come out to pay tribute to my husband. and i just wanted to thank them. that's really the only message here tonight. thank you. >> kennedy will lie in repose at the jfk library until later moe gin tndhrouout the ghy witht rd ekti cfogonov cage c f sen ful.nera funeral.ut senato bo ared senator edke y'nnifsnde l ake legacy on our website at

nbcwashington.com. >> we're following breaking news this morning out of california where a wildfire has already destroyed at least six homes and is threatening several others. this fire broke out last night in rancho pal owes verdict owes. several neighborhoods have been evacuated as more than 250 firefighters battled the flames. more than 75 acres have been destroyed. this one is at least one of four wildfires burning right now in southern california. >> a police officer pulled a baby from a burning car after the child's father allegedly ietrto flee the scene. take aoothkiece at sene in s ce lipoay saymorning. police say officer heathce oyl tried to pullver c aaror f kept rivervet k ep going and ended up crashing into a stone wall. as the car caught fire, police say the driver got out and began running. officer oyler caught theus spect and handcuffed him. that's whehe t s guy said his 7-month-old daughter was still in the burning car. >> just able to get her out.

i got her out of the car. she was still in her car seat. i set her down by my car on the grass and went back to address the driver. >> the baby is said to be in good condition this morning. her father is in the hospital, and he faces several charges. >> it's 5:37 right now. a giant jackpot up for grabs. why today's the day you may want to pick up a lottery ticket. >> also, a hike through the popular virginia forest ends in tragedy for two virginia tech university students. >> plus, travel experts' urgent warning to consumers before the

weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 5:41, 75 degrees in washington under a cloudy sky. on radar, some heavy rain with thunder and lightning now crossing the bay east of annapolis. and farther to our north across right north maryland into washington county, that's continuing to move to the north. temperatures all around the region in the 60s. to our west 70s around

washington, near the bay. highs today reaching low 80s with likely afternoon and evening thundershowers. tomorrow a small chance, lower humidity sunday and monday. latest on danny and a look at next week in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> accident remains 395 northbound at duke street. as i predicted the left lane only getting by. if you get on 395 northbound from duke street, you'll get on after the accident scene. hov lanes are okay. main line is jammed. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. >> thanks, jerry. 5:42. a disturbing discovery. two virginia tech students found dead. >> plus, upset parents lashing out over a scheduling glitch at some maryland schools. next at 5:45, what administrators are saying will be donadtoack ss cla. badack to class.

here's a look at some of the top stories we're following today. this is a live picture from inside the jfk library in boston. the body of senator edward kennedy is now lying in repose there. thousands of people will be

passinby the american flag-draped casket until late this afternoon. afterward, family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service. senator kennedy's funeral is set for tomorrow. a wildfire has forced hundreds of people out of their homes in southern california. at least half a dozen homes have already been destroyed. the fire started last night in rancho palos verdes. helicopters have been dropping water in the area to try to contain the flames. americans are heading into the weekend with some mixed feelings about the economy. yesterday, several reports signaled some healing. fewer workers filed new claims for jobless benefits, and the economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter. the fdic, however, announced that more banks are in trouble with bad loans as the culprit. >> well, it was not the way parents and students in prince george's county wanted to start the school year. thousands of children unable to go to class because they didn't have class schedules.

the superintendent of schools is offering an apology, but the problem is still not fixed. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live with more on this. good morning, tracee. >> good morning. yes, still not fixed. when this problem started, there were 8,000 students without class schedules. now officials are saying that number is down to just under 2,000. prince george's county's superintendent dr. william hite says the scheduling mix-up on the first day of school has been frustrating for families, embarrassing for the system and he says he's sorry. during last night's regularly scheduled school board meeting, the superintendent revealed that the administration knew about the class schedule issue but ran out of time to fix it and did not have a backup plan. under 2,000 students are still without those school schedules, down from 8,000 mostly high school students. on the first day, students were sent to gyms, cafeterias and other holding areas while the administration tried to fix the problem. the school system says much of the blame rests on the $4 million computer system called

school max. the system sorts out schedules and grades and was introduced in prince george's county last year, but still has a number of issues. >> i want to offer my sincere apologies to the students, families and the staff of prince george's county public schools for the inconvenience and disruption to the school year that this scheduling issue has imposed. >> the superintendent is promising parents that their children's academic record will not be negatively impacted by the mix-up, but they will have to catch up. dr. hite says the school system will offer additional instructional time in class and also some review packets for students to use in school and also saturday walk-in study sessions. back to you all. >> thank you, tracee. two virginia tech students found shot and killed at a popular campground. a man was walking his dog. he found their bodies. the students are david metzler of lynchburg and heidi childs from forest, virginia. the two were at the jefferson

national forest about 15 miles from the virginia tech campus. police described their deaths as violent and say the students appear to be innocent victims. >> come down for the purpose of what appears to be just to, to either neck or just star-watch or have a private conversation and this type of event occurs, you know, it's unwarranted, uncalled for. >> police say they believe this is a randomcrime. a memorial service for the students will take place at virginia tech. >> prince george's county police have conducted another raid on a pawn shop. authorities seized power tools, computer equipment, medicine, even toys at the parkway pawn shop in bladensburg yesterday. all of the items are brand-new and appear to have come from a local big box store. police did not make any arrests, but they said the investigation is continuing. now, last month the recently created county pawn shop task force busted the maryland

computer exchange in hyattsville. >> mayor fenty is starting to get pretty angry about questions of how his two sons got into a popular school outside their normal neighborhood. his children a in fourth grade at lafayette elementary instead of west elementary, a less regarded school a few blocks from the fenty home on 16th street. the mayor politely avoided answering questions about the issue yesterday morning right here on news 4 but his tone was fo notably different when reporters asked him similar questions later in the day. >> you've asked me this question every day for the last three days. >> i understand. >> you are the number one political reporter for city paper. you have to at some point find another issue to ask me about. i'm in charge of a $10 billion budget. stop. >> school officials insist the fentys entered the lottery that many d.c. parents enter every year in order to get their kids out of lower-performing schools.

>> a maryland lawmaker has paid the baltimore police department for his elaborate marriage proposal that involved using police department resources. delegate jon cardin has apologized for the proposal which took place earlier this month. cardin took his now fiance and friends on a boat ride. police then boarded the boat and pretended to search for contraba contraband. cardin then popped the question. he has now submitted a $300 check to the police department. that amount is based on the hourly rate paid to the officers involved and the cost of the helicopter fuel. >> that took some forethought. >> that did. >> mike goodness. >> someuts to ask the police department to do that. hmm. as they say, the police department does not do weddings and bachelor parties. >> so romantic. time now for traffic and weather on the 1s. >> well, we had some thunder and lightning overnight in our northern suburbs and many of you are waking up this morning sleep

deprived from all that thunder and lightning we had around midnight in montgery county. that has passed to our north. our sky in washington is remaining cloudy. a live picture from our city camera. plane taking off fromga rean national. there's capitol hill in the distance under these low clouds. it is a humid morning. now looking at the radar over ee last hour, where you s e flashes of white, that's lightning still. quite a bit of thunder and lightning north of baltimore, now pulling out of carroll county. got rights of flooding in northeastern maryland. here is another cluster of thunder and lightning now just exited anne arundel county, heading across the bay, just about to move over kent island heading toward chestertown and pulling off to the north and east through kent and queen an's counties. no precipitation around washington. a little bit of light rain just now coming into the central shenandoah valley. we have temperatures there in the 60s but it's in the 70s from the blu ridge to the atlantic beaches. mid-70s in washington and the eastern shore but out of the mountains in the low 60s right

now. over the last six hours, we've seen this flow out of the south tapping all this moisture, bringing it on in. meanwhile, here's what's happening with tropical storm danny. it is still not organized and still really just a cluster of thunderstorms. there's washington. there's the outer banks. there's florida. these are the latest statistics. danny's peak winds are only 40. just barely a tropical storm. with gustses to around 50. moving northwest -- north/northwest around 8 miles an hour. about 600 miles south of ocean city. by saturday it will be passing by ocean city. just a tropical storm. don't anticipate it becoming a hurricane. it may be a pretty strong tropical storm when it passes over martha's vineyard on saturday. then it races across the canadian maritimes. for us, we have this con ver belt of moisture out of the south. as a result, flight delays from florida to new york state and in the upper midwest. but elsewhere shouldn't have any flight delays today. fodato slight chance of a

morning shower and tn da and th the afternoon, alikelihood of passing showers, som of which could produce brief, heavy s. te terms in the low0s skins andt' s game at fedex field, could be wet. maybe passing thundershowers through the game. temperatures in the 70s. through the rest of the evening, some thunder and lightning to midnight tonight. ssg inshsaturday, pa ierheown tg morning but improving news for then weekend. saturday looking partly cloudy, highs in the low 80s. small an acef on afternoon shower. sunday, lower humidity moving in, looking dry now. highs in the mid-80s. , cloudy, mid-70s, nny. oudycl,d lohu smity idiacn tin pl e. and staying comfortable through much of next week with highs near 80. i'm back with frequent updates throughout the morning. >> thank you, tom. >> looks nice. let's see what the traffic is doing. here's jerry edwards and the news 4 traffic network. >> hey there. good morning. happy friday. it's been a busy friday already.

395 northbound at duke street just moments ago the accident cleared out of the roadway so all travel lanes are open once again. unfortunately now because of the accident was in the roadway for quite some time, the backup on 395, 95 begins at least at springfield but it's a slow, painful roll but at least all the travel lanes are open. elsewhere, police are dealing with an accident georgia avenue closed at brookville road because of an accident. word of an accident 95 southbound, the ramp to go to the inner loop in college park, that ramp completely closed. in town, north capitol street near range road northeast, look out for the accident there as well. back to you. >> thanks, jerry. >> thanks a lot. the wait is finally over for apple's new operating system for macs. the snow leopapl system is available today. apple says the snow leopard will not include a lot of new features but it will make features of its current operating system even better. the company claims the system is more secure and works up to 50% faster. it also takes up less space on the hard drive. users who have apple's current

operating system simply called leopard can buy the upgrade for $29. >> they say good things come to those who wait and that's apparently the case when it comes to finding great deals on travel. experts say you can still find good deals out there forabor day weekend getaways. airfare and hotel rates are down considerably from last year. travelocity says you can save hundreds of dollars by booking a package deal instead of booking your flight and seeotera separately. why such good deals? >> not as many people have been traveling so prices are coming down because of that. they want to lure travelers to their destination. >> now, while procrastinating might get you a great deal on labor day weekend travel experts say you should still book trips early if you're going away for thanksgiving or christmas. >> now to the money crisis and a check on how the foreign markets did today. asian stocks were mixed. the nikkei gained 0.57%.

however, hong kong's hang seng lost 0.89%. the shanghai lost 2.91%. take a look at wall street now where the dow futures are pointing towards a slightly negative opening today. yesterday the dow gained 37 points to close at 9580. the nasdaq gained three points to close at 2027. >> happening today, a giant jackpot up for grabs. tonight's mega millions drawing is worth $325 million. if you opt for the cash option, you'd tak home $204 million. if no one wins tonight, lottery officials estimate the next jackpot will hit a new record. still to come on "news 4 today," the newest program designed for cash for clunkers. how your kids can cash in on the latest deal. >> we're going live to boston as mourners are saying their final good-byes now to senator edward moore ken dichlt. >> meteorologist tom kierein

will have your all-important weekend forecast and we'll let you know if tropical storm danny is moving closer to the coast. we'll have your weather and traffic together on the 1s. ly

a fond farewell. thousands of mourners pay tribute and say good-bye to an american icon, senator edward moore kennedy. you're looki at live pictures this morning as kennedy's body lies in repose in boston before his funeral tomorrow in boston and his burial at arlington national cemetery. good morning and welcome back to "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> and i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrison. today friday, august 28th, 2009. taking a live look outside. it looks clear in our area, but some of you experiencing rain this morning.

>> yeah, hope you brought your umbrella with you because tom says we might get a few droplets later on today. >> that's right. it's cloudy in washington now and it's humid as we start off in wgakre waking b yarup eyed after the sky was throwing lightning bolts at us overnight in montgomery and howard and frederick counties. ra in came down reallyar tdouidnigh itaroundidnight with some thunder and lightning. wghhnot on the radar getting thunder and lightning crossing the chesapeake bay to the east of annolis as well as nor onof baltimore and along the pennsylvania border. for the rest of the day, there's a small chance of a morning shower. otherwise, cloudy. then aelik lihood of passingwei t to einsnghivenin thtede ahohors inrs t ehitongvese sni oomf whi could prod uc s omef,brey vieer e heavy rain. s. atsri potnsat pot tonight looks like it's going to be a damp evening for the game. some wet football, maybe some thundershowers during the game until midnight, too. it looks like it may be a little bit wet tomorrow morning. but saturday, io sydaun and monday, improving news. a small chance of a swer on

saturday. partly cloudy, then lower humidity moving in onda suny ing sunshine by the afternoon and into the first part of next week remaining dry. i'll be back in ten minutes with another update. >> lightning last night or my wife lighting up one of them big cigars she likes to do about 3:00 in the morning. no. >> i'm assuming it's the former. >> thank goodness it was the former. >> let's head over to jerry edwards and take a look at traffic. a few tie-ups this morning. >> yes, indeed. 395, nothing but brake lights if your future. earlier accident held up all traffic on 395 northbound at duke street. the accident is gone, completely. nothing left to look at. on again, off again delays coming from the beltway. uth of town at the wilson bridge doing okay. no worries at route 50. southbound 95 ramp to the inner loop of the beltway, police dealing with an accident. up in olney, georgia avenue closed off because of an accident as you make the trip around olney. look out for the flashing lights up there. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. >> thank you, jerry.

>> paying tribute to senator edward kennedy. today thousands of people are expected to pass by his casket which is now in boston at the john f. kennedy presidential library. >> you're looking live at that memorial site which is set up inside the library. as of last night, more than 20,000 people had already visited to pay their respects. michelle franzen joins us from boston this morning with more on what's taking place today. michelle, have mourners started lining up yet? >> reporter: certainly they have started lining up. you mentioned 21,000 that had come yesterday in the hours just alone, in the first hour 12,000 had signed up and lined up to come into the library. certainly long enough lines where the hours had to be extended into the night. they came by the thousands to the jfk presidential library where senator edward kennedy's body lay in repose. and they waited in lines up to four hours long just to pay

their respects. >> he feels like, you know, for everybody's favorite uncle. that's what ted kennedy feels like to so many people. >> reporter: family members greeting the crowds, including the senator's widow, vicki. hugging and thanking them. >> we're so honored that so many people have come out to pay tribute to my husband. and i just wanted to thank tm. >> reporter: those who felt compelled to attend kennedy's public farewell included many americans who were touched over the decades by laws kennedy helped pass. >> civil rights, minimum wage. he really was a voice for the poor and the common person. >> reporter: average americans alongside leaders like the reverend jesse jackson, wanting a last glimpse of one of america's most influential senators who helped shape the country this past half century. >> he saw america as a land of rights for all, not a provision

for some. he's always been there. >> reporter: the swell of mourners at the presidential library followed a day of mourning, a motorcade that journeyed from kennedy's home in hyannis port to boston. all along the 70-mile route, people lined the highways and streets of the city the kennedys called their own, all to bid farewell to the lion of the senate and kennedy patriarch. and again in just a few hours, the lines to the library will re-open. again, people already lining up. just a few miles away, preparations under way at a basilica where the funeral services take place tomorrow. joe, kimberly. >> michelle, thank you. >> thanks. preparations are under way at arlington national cemetery, senator kennedy's final resting place. kennedy will be buried on saturday with congressional honors. a bugler will play taps. a rifle squad will fire 21 volleys. and there will be pallbearers representing each branch of the military. kennedy will then be buried near the graves of his brothers, john

and robert kennedy. yesterday, hundreds of people visited the site already and paid their respects at the eternal flame. >> yeah, because it's a part of history, yeah. nice to say you've been there, especially at such a historic time. >> it means a lot to me because of the fact that i'm originally from massachusetts, plus an ex-vet so coming to arlington means an awful lot. >> the burial site will be closed to the public all day tomorrow for the private service. it wil re-open on sunday morning at 8:00 t,inerheun faln morning in w morning in kennedy's bodyilnfl w toworlonit tn to arlington ndrymet t ava phaterio icrvthe at the cemetery begins at 5:00 p.m. >> new today, fairfax county police sending a message after seeing an increasing number of pedestrians being hit by cars. so far this year, ten people have been hit and killed. this is the scene from the most recent crash. a 64-year-old woman died crossing the street in

centreville. investigators say she was not in a crosswalk, and they say walking to a crosswalk is something you can do to improve your safety. >> we really encourage the pedestrians use crosswalks and to cross with the signals. we can't say what is or isn't a contributing factor, but i think it's safe to say that most of the pedestrians who get struck are not crossing at the crosswalk so they're crossing against the signals. >> last year, the county only had four deadly accidents involving pedestrians. they say that number is actually quite low, and this year is more in line with what they normally see. >> breaking news this friday morning out of southern california where wildfires have forced thousands of people from their homes. at least 2,000 people evacuated from the wealthy community of rancho palos verdes north of los angeles. the fire began there late yesterday. helicopters are right now dropping water on the 75-acre fire, but firefighters are struggling to contain the flames. this is one of at least four wildfires burning right now in southern california.

>> today nasa's hoping the third time's the charm. engineers are planning to launch space shuttle "discovery" to the international space station. liftoff is set for just a minute before midnight. "discovery" was first supposed to blast off from the kennedy space center on tuesday but the launch was scrubbed because of bad weather. wednesday's launch was scrubbed because of a malfunctioning fuel valve. engineers say they have fixed the problem. >> 6:08 is the time, 75 degrees. how an identity theft crime ring stole money from fed chairman ben bernanke and many others. and how michael vick looked as he returned to the football field for the first time in more than two years. >> plus, new and graphic information this morning about the murder of a model in southern california. nd in

weather and traffic on the 1s, now 6:11. good morning. temperatures arnd the metro area in the low and mid-70s. on radar, some thundershowers

and thunder along the pennsylvania border, in queen anne's and kent county, continuing to pull away. later on today, cloudy. a likelihood of afternoon showers and thundershowers, some of which could produce some flooding rains. remaining humid, highs low 80s. could get some showers and thundershowers tonight. on saturday a slight chance of a passing shower. otherwise, partly cloudy, still steamy. lower humidity for sunday and monday. a a a look at the latest with tropical storm danny in ten minutes. how's the traffic? >> start along i-270 where it's relatively quiet, loading up and finding a few brief slowdowns toward hyattstown, clarksburg, germantown, but no accidents to worry about. montgomery county police tell us that georgia avenue closed to traffic both directions up at brookville road. an accident with power lines down. new hampshire avenue to 108 is a good work-around. outer loop of the beltway from college park to silver spring incident free. no worries through southeast or northeast at this hour. back to you. >> thank you, jerry.

how much a maryland lawmakers had to repay police after something of an indecent marriage proposal that included a fake police raid. and the government agency designed to protect your money when a bank fails is losing money. find out what you need to kto mu to make sure your money is safe. m

today thousands will gather in massachusetts to pay tribute to the late senator edward kennedy. senator kennedy's body is now lying in repose at his brother's presidential library in boston. mourners will continue to pass by the american flag-draped casket until late this afternoon. after that, family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service. kennedy's funeral is set for

tomorrow in boston. he will then be buried near his brothers at arlington national cemetery. >> well, there continues to be more good news than bad news on the economy. today there could be a strong sign that we're coming out of this recession, actually. tracie potts is joining us live with more from capitol hill. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. evidence is actually mounting that we may be coming to an end here when it comes to this recession. the problem is your wallet may not realize it. today we'll learn what people spent and what your paychecks look like in july. analysts predict the economy may actually grow for the first time in a year, a sign the recession may be on its way out. we're already seeing a small rebound in housing as fence-sitters decide to buy. >> if they see that housing prices are stabilizing they're going to jump into the market and we'll see a small surge in sales. >> reporter: some corporate profits are up.

dell's reporting an unexpectedly strong second quarter, b analysts say companies are making money because they've laid off workers. >> personal disposable nm begins to rise again, these are the things that determine a recession to the average person. >> signature and date. >> reporr: unemployment's not expected to bottom out until next spring at 10% or more. that means while the numbers are improving, relief hasn't yet reached the millions of americans who can't pay their bills. banks are also still in a pinch. the fdic, which insures your deposit taken a huge hit, covering 81 failed banks this year. the insurance fund could be in the red by december, but the agency's chair says they've got backup funds. >> our resources are strong. your insed deposits are safe. again, no insured depossible tour has ever lost a benny of insured deposits and no one ever will. >> reporter: economists are

saying that cash for clunkers program may be contributing to those personal spending numbers coming out today. live from capitol hill, i'm tracie potts, news 4. >> thanks very much. >> this morning we're learning more about the identity theft crime ring that stole money from one of the country's most powerful financial figures. fed chairman ben bernanke among others. according to a d.c. police report, his wife had her purse swiped at this capitol hill starbucks last year. in it was her social security card, checkbook and other i.d. it's still unclear how much money was stolen from the bernankes, but the thieves cashed at least one cash worth $900. investigators say the crime ring stole from people in nine states and the district. they stole in a variety of ways, pickpocketing, sift tlug mail and stealing from office buildings. a maryland lawmaker admits he made an indecent proposal and he's paying up after enlisting the baltimore police department to help him pull offn

elaborate marriage proposal. delegate jon cardin has apologized for his proposal which took place earlier this month. cardin took his now fiancee and some friends out on a boat and staged a mock police raid. police boarded the boat, as a police helicopter flew overhead. cardin then popped the question. how romantic. police calculated what it cost them and cardin submitted a $300 check to the department. >> the redskins have a good test before them tonight. they will play tom brady and the patriots in another preseason ga. here's dan hellie with your sports minute. >> good morning, everybody. your sports minute starts with the redskins, the guys playing preseason game number three at fedex field tonight. they are taking on the patriots. starters going to go for awhile, at least a half, maybe more. our coverage from fedex begins at 50.

in philadelphia, michael vick made his nfl debut for the eagles. last night, 4 for 4 for 19 yards passing, ran the ball once. vick in the game for a total of six plays. it was his first nfl action since the 2006 season. the eagles, by the way, won the game. to baseball. the nationals will finally have a winning month, but yesterday their win in chicago was costly. center fielder nyger morgan broke his hand while stealing third base. he will miss the rest of the season. the nats do beat the cubs 5-4. meanwhile, in baltimore, the o's lost to the indians 5-4. that's your sports minute. i'm dan hellie. everybody have a great friday. >> as expected, some proceede estes tours did arrive outside the stadium to boycott michael vick's return to football. the group was small, only a handful of people. a larger group gathered in another part of town. members for the society of the prevention for cruelty to an mams. many of them brought their dogs with them to protest.

>> just about 6:21 now. time again for a look at traffic and weather together on the 1s. >> good morning, tom. >> a gray down over the potomac, live picture from our city camera after some overnight rain that passed to the north of washington. the air is saturated. tropical humidity continuing sweep in on a southerly wind. right now on radar we're still getting some thunder and lightning on the eastern shore in kent and queen anne's counties, as well as north of baltimore and carroll and frederick county. that's moving on up toward pennsylvania. our temperatures around the region now are right in the mid-70s and tropical storm danny is still disorganized and is just a weak tropical storm now. latest statistics, danny's winds around 40 with gusts to 50. about 600 miles south of ocean city. on this track it appears it will be just east of ocean city saturday afternoon, perhaps about 100 miles out to sea. it will be a weak tropical storm, may intensify a little bit as it gets near cape cod late on saturday, into saturday night, maybe still, though, a

tropical storm. for us for today, cloudy, afternoon showers and thundershowers likely with possible flooding. small chance tomorrow and drying out sunday and into next week. jerry,how's our traffic on this friday morning? >> a live look here along interstate 66. good morning, everyone. no big concerns 66 eastbound, haymarket, manassas in. not bad at all. the travel lanes are open. check your speeds and see how wore ae doing this morning making the drive on the beltway from college park to route 50, 8 minutes. 19 minutes so far this morning from route 50 to the wilson bridge. off the wilson bridge over to i-95 springfield just 7 minutes. not too bad on the beltway at the moment. back to you. >> thank you, jerry. with well you knew it would happen sooner or later. the new video on the rounds on the internet claiming michael jackson is alive. tragedy str ia.inchte rgvistinia tech. two st in

here we go again. elvis, i hope you're watching toy. a 30-second dark, shaky video clip is fodder for conspiracy theorists. they claim this shows michael jackson still alive. someone posted this video online, claiming to have obtained it from a reliable source. the person says the video comes from los angeles, shows someone resembling jackson emerging from a coroner's van. jackson died in june. the coroner ruled last week he had lethal doses of prescription drugs in his system. >> disturbing new details in the murder of a swimsuit model. california police say there were signs of a violent struggle inside jasmine fiore's car. they found blood spatter on the inside. on the outside, they found mud and twigs which could indicate the car went off-road.

police say she was killed by her ex-husband, ryan jenkins, a contestant on vh 1's "megan wouldn'ts a millionaire." he killed himself last week. >> senator ted kennedy's body lies in repose and will be flown here tomorrow to arlington national cemetery. a police officer fights flames to save a baby from a burning car. >> breaking news in california. an out of control wildfire breaks out, forcing thousas.home leave r eis.me

a final farewell. thousands of mourners pay tribute and say good-bye to an american icon. senator edward moore kennedy. this morning, ted kennedy' body lies in repose in boston before

his funeral tomorrow at a historic church in boston and burial at arlington national cemetery. you're looking at live pictures from inside the kennedy library. beautiful picture through that window there of the boston skyline. >> sunrise. beautiful. >> gorgeous picture. m picture. good morning. thanks for waking up with us this morning here on "news 4 today." i'm joe krebs. >> i'm kimberly suiters in for barbara harrison this morning. not so much of a recognize over our area this morning. >> a lot of haze and clouds out there. a lot of it looks like low hanging clouds. >> they are out there, and many of our viewers in the northern gobusus are waking upbu gmpy and ghhtniigbrig l overnight bright lightning andn booming thunderept many awake. right now it's beginning to diminish, those thund erower e diarws heading ac kssanrot en d ross kent and y n st tere,he eastern shore, as well as now exiting baltimore a carol imav se some heavy rainlt bae.r lo frnod baheimore. cff 2:00 counties i nn,gr counties in n,

fairfax, montgomery, prince fax, montgomery, prince udoun, , ounty. ounty. y avhe prain y shi afternoon. right now 73 in washington and we're in the 70s from the blue ridge to the atlantic beaches. heav drsowouhnp wit thunder and gh ginliikhiel tysno after ton and this evening. highs low 80s. then a small chance of a shower on saturday. drying out sunday into monday. a look at the rest of into next week, that will be coming up in ten minutes. >> thank you, tom. >> let's go to jerry edwards now. he's looking at the roadways on this friday morning. got any problems, jerry? >> we do indeed. first good news. looks like new york avenue at north capital street moving along nicely. authorities are still dealing with the accident, an overturned van north capital street at riggs road up. to the north, serious crash closes westbound i-70 up at braddock heights. west of frederick. it's a truck loaded with a load of clothes, we're told. there's a fuel spill. right now westbound i-70 at

braddock heights completely closed to traffic. route 40 is your alternate. you will be out there for a awhile. eastbound your lanes are open. back to you. >> thank you. right now mourners are saying good-bye to senator edward kennedy. 20,000 people have already paid theift respects. you are looking live inside the beautiful jfk library in boston as the sun rises. kennedy is lying in repose there. mourners will continue to pass by the flag-draped casket until late this afternoon. already thousands of people have lined up to visit this morning. kennedy's widow, vicki, is reacting publicly to the outpouring of support. >> we're so honored that so many people have come out to pay tribute to my husband. and i just wanted to thank them. >> family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service until late this afternoon. senator kennedy's funeral is set for tomorrow in boston. >> after tomorrow's funeral service, senator kennedy's casket will be flown to

arlington naonal cemetery, his final resting place. news 4's megan mcgrath joins us live from arlington this morning with more on tomorrow's burial. good morning, megan. >> reporter: well, good morning, joe. we're here at the main entrance to arlington national cemetery and you can see behind me here up on the hill that is the arlington house, the home of robert e. lee. that will be closed to public beginning at noon on saturday for use by the kennedy family. the burial service is expected to take place at 5:00 saturda evening. senator edward kennedy's body will be flown from boston to andrews air force base and a motorcade will transport his coffin here to arlington national cemetery. the senator will be laid to rest near his brothers. senator edward kennedy will lie in repose beginning this morning until 4:00 this afternoon at the john f. kennedy library in dorchester, massachusetts. among those asked to stand vigil, kennedy's first press aide, carrie robinson. >> we've been asked to be with

him, to stand by him at the kennedy library during this vigil. and it's very kind of the family to think of us. and we're all honored to be doing this. >> reporter: on saturday morning, a funeral mass will be held in boston. then the senator's body will be brought to arlington national cemetery for burial. he will be buried near his slain brothers, john f. kennedy and robert kennedy. arlington national cemetery will be open on saturday, but the public will be kept away from the kennedy burial site. senar kennedy served two years in the army. an army bugler is expected to play taps, and a rifle squad will fire a volley. the arlington house, robert e. lee's house on the hill, will be closed to the public beginning at noon on saturday. and the first opportunity for the public to seeenator edward kennedy's grave here at arlington national cemetery will likely be sunday morning when the cemetery opens at 8:00 a.m. back to you, joe, eg m>>an mly

>>y eger v . mch, th aner v much. funeral mass err kfo fte maldass dyr ted kdy rr to a tomorrow at a historic owurnchch i .stnill be flown ty wlil be flol liarntoioatnallet ceremy for riava pteia blurviera sce which begins at 5:00 tomorrow evening. >> a police officer pulls a baby from a burning car after the fa this was the sceneci i. asthis w the scene inanis massas yesterday morning. police say officer h meath oyle tried to pull or sp ngee di,ut b speeding, but the driver kept going. ended up crashing into a stone wall. as the car caught fire, police say the driver got out and started running. officer oyler caught the suspect he'sthhen wuy t gcuat s'sthhe t 7-month-old daughter was still in the car. >> just able to get her out. i got her out of the car. she was still in her car seat. i set her down by my car on the grass and went back to address the driver. >> the baby is okay. her father is in the hospital, facing several charges. >> two virginia tech students

have been found shot and killed at a popular campground near campus. police say the students were shot to death sometime between wednesday night and early yesterday morning. a man found their bodies while walking his dog through jefferson national forest. the students were identified as david metzler and heidi childs, both of lynchburg, virginia. police say the students were innocent victims of a random crime. >> we're following some breakg news this morning. firefighters in southern california are battling a number of wildfires. one of those fires is in the affluent company of rancho palos verdes north of l.a. it's burned at least 75 acres and forced more than 2,000 people from their homes. the fire started late yesterday. high temperatures and low humidity are wreaking havoc with crews trying to contain those wildfires. feeling lucky? how you can become an instant millionaire today. today is the last day of the first week of school in prince george's county where students are not so lucky. why do nearly 2,000 studes

still have incorrect class schedules? >> getting tired of the heat? sick of summer? well, take a look at this. snow in august. we're going to tell you where t's already becoming a winter wonderland.

weather and traffic on the 1s. good morning now at 6:41. on radar we still have some thunder and heavy rain now in the eastern shore, kent and queen anne's counties, as well as north of baltimore. continuing to move to the north and east. remaining cloudy throughout the region and likelihood of afternoon thundershowers, some of which could produce flooding. passing showers this evening as well. small chance on saturday and drying out sunday into monday and much of next week. very comfortable. highs just near 80, low humidity. now, jerry, how's the traffic at

this hour? >> tom, head over to 95 in virginia where it's quiet and dry this morning as you make the trip up from the prince william parkway headed to the capital beltway. not as bad of a delay now inside the beltway getting past the accident which is now cleared but hung things up this morning at 395 at duke street but the lanes are open. problems persist westbound i-70 remains closed to traffic at braddock heights because of an accident involving a truck. you can use route 40 as an alternate and work-around but give yourself extra time westbound. eastbound your lanes are open. back to you. >> thanks very much, jerry. our time now 6:42. the new program beginning today designed after cash for clunkers. how your kids can cash in on this latest deal. and found alive. police find a woman who was abducted in 1991 when she was just 11 years old. what she's been forced to do for nearly 20 years.

thousands of people will gather in massachusetts today to pay their respects to the late senator edward moore kennedy. his body is now lying in repose at his brother's presidential library in boston. mourners will be lining up to walk past his casket until late this afternoon. these are live pictures from the presidential library. after that, later today family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service. senator kennedy's funeral is set for tomorrow in boston. this body will then be flown to arlington national cemetery where it will be buried near his brothers. >> just an amazing story out of california this morning. a missing girl has been found 18 years after she was snatched

from a bus stop. jaycee lee dugard was just 11 years old when she was abducted. her stepfather watched helplessly as someone in a gray car pulled her inside. there was no sign of her until this tuesday. that's when a registered sexfenp ofernd named phillip garrido ll key bwileed at u.c. wiwowo tth kids. police searched his home. >> the search of the residence revealed a hidden back yard within a back yard. the hidden back yard had sheds, tents and outbuildings where jaycee and the girls spent most of their lives. >> police say jaycee gave birth after garrido raped her. her children are now ages 11 and 15. garrido's been arrested on kidnapping and sex charges. his wife has also been arrested. police say she was with him when jaycee was abducted. >> well, it was not the way parents and students in prince george's county wanted to start the school year. thousands of children unable to go to class because they did not have any class schedules.

the superintendent of schools there is offering an apology but the problem is not fixed yet. news 4's tracee wilkins joins us live with more. good morning. >> good morning. the superintendent has missed his first deadline. he wanted the problem fixed by friday but it's still an issue. when it started, there were 8,000 students without class schedules. now officials are saying that number is down to under 2,000. prince george's county superintendent dr. william hite says the scheduling mix-up on the first day of school has been frustrating for families, embarrassing for the system and he says he's sorry. during last night's regularly scheduled school board meeting, the superintendent revealed that the administration knew about the class schedule issue but ran out of time to fix it and did not have a backup plan. on the first day, students were sent to gyms, cafeterias and other holding areas while administrators tried to fix the problem. the school system says much of the blame rests on a $4 million computer system called school max. the system sorts out schedules and grades and was introduced in

prince george's county last year but has had a number of problems since, in some cases kids have been given mock schedules until their real ones can be produced. some school board members, parents and students are growing impatient. >> i told him that you're going to enjoy ninth grade. and the first thing he came home to tell me is that i'm not sure i really like high school. >> right now what they're telling us is it's going to be resolved by monday. i've been told each day that it was going to be resolved and it's still not resolved. >> i have a schedule now, but on the first day i did not have a schedule. i did not know where i was going. i was among half of our school. >> the superintendent is promising parents that their child's academic record will not be negatively impacted because of this mix-up. back to you all. >> thanks very much. the superintendent says the students who have had scheduling issues will still have to catch up. dr. hite says the school system will offer additional instructiol time in class,

review packets for students to use in school and offer saturday walk-in study sessions. >> wall street has seen gains for eight straight days. to see if this rally will continue, let's go live to cnbc's courtney reagan. good morning. what do you think? >> reporter: hi. good morning. i think we can do it. futures are pointing to a slightly higher opening on wall street. been that way all morning. the dow is going to try to extend its winning streak to nine straight days. asian markets were split overnight but europe is higher in early trading so that could be good for us. a pair of economic reports to wrap up the week, consumer seb timt and perm income and spending figures. tiffany's reports earnings before the opening bell. is dow gained 37 points on thursday. the nasdaq did add thr points to 2027. apple's snow leopard is set to pounce. the company is releasing its new operating system today, two months before microsoft launches

window 7. the biggest feature, applications will run faster. snow leopard costs $29ut t you can't download the upgrade, also doesn't work on older macs which may be apple's subtle hint that it's time for you to buy a new computer. toys "r" us is rolling out its own version of cash for clunkers. for the next three weeks, people who bring in children's used equipment such as car seats will get coupons off a range of new items. participating brands include grayco. >> there's no way my daughter is giving up her car seat. her dolls need it, courtney. thank you very much. >> this is a good day to test your luck. the mega millions jackpot is the highest it's been in two years. up for grabs, $325 million. that ought to bring your 401(k) back up to speed. a lot of people are getting in on it today. some are using their lucky numbers. others are going for a random quick pick.

if no one does win again tonight, lottery officials estimate the next jackpot will hit a new record high and you can play mega millionsn maryland and virginia. >> no record highs we're dealing with. kind of nice temperatures headed our way. >> yeah, but steamy humidity and certainly feeling like august and summertime here, but in eastern canada it's feeling and looking like winter. look at this. in labrador, they got a coating of snow yesterday. this is august. august the 27th. even enough to do a little cross country skiing there in labrador. that's in eastern canada. they got about an inch of snow there yesterday. well, we do occasionally get snow in the rockies this time of year. may happen once in awhile but certainly is something to see there that far east. let's take a look around our part of the world here this morning as we get going on this friday morning. we've got a gray sky over washington, and we've had some overnight downpours north of washington in montgomery county, thunder and lightning last

night. it's long gone now. 73 in washgton. on radar, we still have some lingering showers and thunder north of baltimore on the pennsylvania border and a little cluster of some rain and thunder and lightning now rolling across queen anne's and kent county on the eastern shore. that's continuing to pull to the north and east. all these counties in green under a flood watch for the potential for flooding from heavy downpours this afternoon, includes fairfax, loudoun, montgomery, arlington, prince george's county, the district, as well as anne arundel, howard, frederick, carroll, north of baltimore and har ford county where they have had flooding already this morning. could get a couple of inches of rain out of some isolated storms later on today. it's a steamy morning. blue ridge to the bay in the low 70s. 73 in washington. 60s around the shenandoah valley. here's what's happening now with tropical storm danny, still very disorganized. it's a weak tropical storm. here's washington, here's florida and it is about 600 miles or so south of ocean city now with the winds of just 40. gusts to 52.

thankfully, looks like it will be a weak tropical storm as it passes east of ocean city on saturday afternoon. then saturday late in the day maybe right near in an tuck elt and martha's vineyard and cape cod. traveling today could be flight delays from storms from florida all the way up to new york state and perhaps in the upper midwest. for us, well, this morning fun the bus stops it's going to be humid and cloudy, in the low 70s. nd then for the rest of the da just a slight chance of a shower by mid to late morning. likevy oodas png hvy on, af pasa wn ahe gt team tonight at fedex oo field, it may be wet with passing thundershowers. in the 70s through the game. maybe even some passing showers and thundershowers until midnight. a little light rain perhaps tomorrow morning but then drying out onsa etuay. just a smallncha ce of an afternoon shower, highs in the a mid-80s. low humidity and partly cloyud nd mo.ndaya chhe o tf weekend is looking abeerntt indhe t t comfort zon again all the way through mid-week next week. that's the way it looks on this friday morning.

have a great weekend. >> the comfort zone. i like that. >> that's a good place to live. let's see if the traffic's there. >> probably not. >> depends where you are. over the american legion bridge, not too bad, both the inner loop and outer loop moving nicely. going downtown 395 northbound headed for the 14th street bridge, wide open there. georgia avenue closed at brookville rolled because of a  serious crash. >> thanks very much. thousands of people will gather in massachusetts today to bid a fond farewell to senator edward kennedy. his body is now lying in repose at the john f. kennedy presidential library in boston. since yesterday, 20,000 people have stopped to pay their respects, waiting in line for up to four hours. kennedy's family members greeted those in line. many were people who did not know him personally, but those who were touched by the ways he changed this country. >> the civil rights and, you know, minimum wage and he really was a voice for the poor and,

you know, the common person. >> he feels like, you know, everybody's favorite uncle. and that's what it -- that's what ted kennedy feels like to so many people. >> family members will hold an invitation-only memorial service later this afternoon. senator kennedy's funeral will take place tomorrow morning in boston and he'll be buried in arlington. >> after that, senator kennedy will be flown to arlington national cemetery where he will be buried with congressional honors. a private burial service is scheduled to take place at 5:00 tomorrow night. the grave site will be closed to public all day and re-open sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. >> well, today's news 4 morning person is known for greeting everhneit w a smiling il wnski s security guard sitecuayrd gwi ll ncopaege tgore g a at smile. ve eeonho wryveeho works th broad thilroad beautiful picture. bfutictpiure. ie ofndfrl ws n silayo feiends of will say nohow bad tl inw bad they're feel always makes themin fl ee ttyswaer makes them f l eetter

d.eat the day ahea if you kno someone like will k wilkins, e-mail that person's story and a clear, close-up picture or video to morningperson@nbcwashington.com. >> a tree from west virginia will head to the white house this christmas. one of the trees from this shepherds town tree farm will be the white house christmas tree. is this a record-setting fourth white house tree from the farm of eric and gloria sunback. the couple provided two white house trees during ronald reagan's presidency and one under jimmy carter's. christmas trees, snow in canada. we've got a theme going. >> time to start getting your christma csds out. >> not so fast. we still have heat and humidy c here for today up inhe t l 8 t0s and cloudy. a likelihood o afternoon heavy downpours that m comau ssee flooding, along with thuer and lightning. at may linger into this evening. improving news for the weekend, just a small chance of a shower tomorrow. lower humidity moving in.

much nicer for sunday, into next week. >> any traffic tie-ups? >> quite a few. westbound i-70 a big one, westbound i-70 at braddock heights completely closed. accident involving a truck. will be that way for a while. >> thanks, jerry. that is "news 4 today." thank you for starting your day with us. >> as we leave you, a live picture from boston as senator ted kennedy lies in repose. have a great day, everyone. >> bye.